Striking-clock.



No. 639,586. Patented Dec. 19, I899. A. M. LANE.

STRIKING cLocK.

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1895;) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

KHZ/755557;? I Inf/ tar 2 E fiffiz 7% Patented Dec. l9, I899.

A. M. LANE.

STRIKING CLOCK.

(Application filed Nqv. 29, 1895.)

2 Sheets8heet 2.

(No Modal.)

EVE/751W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALMERON M. LANE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

STRIKING-CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,586, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed November 29, 1895. Serial No. 570,369. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMERON M. LAnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Striking-Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in striking-clocksg and the main object of my improvement is to arrange the gong within a comparatively small case and at the same time have the gong give a fine tone.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of the body of my clock-case with the other parts in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the casebody with a rear elevation of the other parts. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the case-body and part of the gongstandard with a side eleva tion of other parts, illustrating a modification. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing another modification. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of parts on the line 00 a: of Fig. 2, partly in elevation, showing the manner of securing the gong-standard to its base. Fig. 0 is a sectional View of parts on the line 3 3 Fig. 2, showing the arrangement of the movementsupport and case. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of the front edge of the case-body. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the gong-standard and support on the line of Fig. 5.

A designates the body of the case, which is of circular form and is preferably made of sheet metal. At the back there is an inwardly-projecting flange 0, upon which I socure the cap or cover B, that constitutes the back of the case. The front edge of the case is provided with as many notches 9, Figs. 6 and 7, as there are feet 10 for the front movement-plate 11. These feet are secured to a flanged holding-ring, which serves the oflice of a base or support 12 for the entire movement and for the gong standard or post 13. The cylindrical portion of the base 12 is fitted to slide in and out of the front of the easebody and to lit and substantially fill said body, as in my patent of November 5, 1895. I cover the front of said base with a scalp or metal veneer 14, the edge of which covers the front edge of the case,as Well as said base,and forms a neat finish, and the usual sash 15 is secured to the front of said scalp or veneer. Said holding-ring or base 12 may be secured to the case-body in any desired or ordinary manner; but I prefer to secure the same by rods 16 screwed into or otherwise secured by their front ends to said ring or base 12, while their rear ends, which are screw-threaded, extend through the flange c and cap or cover 13 at the back of the case. Nuts 17 and 18 are applied to hold the parts together and to draw the holding-ring or base 12 firmly against its bearings at the front of the case-body. In order to prevent too much pressure on the scalp or metal veneer I l and to give said ring or base 12 a rigid bearing at the front of the case, I perforate the cylindrical portion of said base 19 at as many points as there are movement feet or brackets 10 and extend the outer ends of said feet through said perforations, so that they project beyond the periphery of said base and are received in the notches 9, as shown in Fig. (3, thereby relieving the scalp or veneer from excessive pressure of the case-body as said body and base are drawn together by the screw-rods 16 or equivalent means.

The gong post or standard 13 in the preferred form is shouldered and threaded at its front end and provided with the nut 19, so that after passing said end through a perforation in the front of the base 12 and its scalp 1d the nut may secure the parts firmly together, as shown in Fig. 5. It is also desirable to further secure the post or standard 13 against accidental rotation, which may be done in any ordinary manner, as byflattened or angular faces on. adjacent parts. A simple way of making such a face on the post or standard is to put two divergent pins 20 in said post and let them bear against theinner wall of the cylindrical portion of the base 12, as shown in Fig. 8.

The gong standard or post 13 lies close to the side of the case-body, between said body and the edge of the movement-plates, and extends from a point at the front of the case to the rear of the movement. Its rear end has secured to it an ordinary sounder 21, and from the edge of this sounder and back of the movement projects an ordinary coiled-wire gong 22. The sounder is of a flattened blocklike form, and the sounding-post is secured to the same near one edge and stands at a right angle thereto, while the wire gong extends from the opposite edge of the said sounder, with its broad sides parallel to the broad sides of the sounder, as shown, whereby I have a long gong post or standard, and the entire gong or bell occupies but little space, lying wholly within the circle of the sash and increasing the depth of the clock from front to rear, but slightly over that necessary for the clock-movement.

\Vhile I prefer to secure the front end of the gong post or standard to a circular base that fits and fills the front of a circular casebody, I can avail myself of the compact arrangement and secure a long gong post or standard by means of the standard 130, which has a flattened shank 23 secured by screws 2% directly to the case-body, as shown in Fig. 3. I may also secure the gong standard or post mediately to the circular base 12, that fills the front of the circular case-body, by turning a shank 25 at right angles to the length of the gong post or standard 131, Fig. 4, and securing said shank by screws 20 directly to the front movement-plate 11, which is connected with and secured to the base 12 through the several feet 10.

I have shown the clock in connection with my eight-day movement and its counting and striking mechanism; but these maybe of any ordinary construction. The wire gong will of course be arranged in proper position to be struck by the hammer 27.

When the gong post or standard is attached to the base at the front of the clock-movement, the sounder and bell should be removably secured to the clock-movement, so that the rear movement-plate may be removed when desired. 1 accomplish this by means of the shouldered and threaded portion of the gong-post and the nut 19, as shown in Fig. 5, or by means of the flattened shank 23 and screws 2 L, as shown in Fig.

By my improvements in addition to the compact arrangement before specified, I produce a fine-toned bell with a good volume of sound. The vibrations of the gong are transmitted through the base 12 and case-body A in a very effective and pleasing manner even when the case has no openings to let out the sound. In fact, the sound is all that may be desired without any such openings, and I preferto have the case as tight as is practicable.

I do not wish to limit my claims to the details of construction shown and described, but reserve the right to make such changes as may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

1 claim as my invention 1. In a striking-clock, the combination of a metallic circular body for transmitting sound, the gong post or standard rigidly supported by the front part of the case and extending to the rear thereof, the sounder and gong secured to the rear end of said standard at the back of the clock-movement and means for effecting a firm union of the front end of said standard with the front portion of said casebody, substantially as described.

2. A clock comprising a circular metallic case-body, asupport or base fitted to and filling said body at its front, a gong post or standard rigidly mounted on said circular base and extended along within said case-body near one side to the back of the movement, the sounder and gong supported on the rear end of said post or standard back of the clock movement and means for firmly uniting said base and front edge of the said clock case body, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. A clock comprising a circular case-body notched at its front edge, a support or base fitted to and filling said body atits front, the scalp or veneer covering the front of said base and projecting over the front edge of said case-body, the feet supporting the movement and having their outer ends resting in the notches at the front of said ease -body and means of drawing the said base or support firmly into the case-body until stopped by said feet, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In a striking-clock the combination of a metallic circular case-body for a sound-transmitter, the gong post or standard rigidly supported by one end at one end of the case-body and extending along just inside thereof to the other end of said body, and the sounder and gong secured to the opposite end of said post at the other end of said case-body, substantially as described.

5. A clock comprising a circular metallic sounder in the form of a case-body, a circular supportor base snugly fitted within said circular metallic sounder at one end thereof, a gong post or standard rigidly mounted 011 said circular base and extending along by one side of said circular metallic sounder, and the block-like form of sounder and attached gong secured to the opposite end of the said post, substantially as described.

6. In a striking-clock the combination of a circular metallic base fitted for reception within a circular case-body,a clock-movement mounted on said base, a gong post or standard rigidly mounted on said circular base by one end and a sounder and gong mounted on the opposite end of said post, substantially as described.

'7. In a striking-clock, the combination of a circular metallic supporting-base, a circular case-body within which said base is fitted and secured, a clock-movement mounted on said circular supporting-base with its movementplates parallel thereto, a gong-post rigidly mounted by one end on said circular base and extending along by the edges of the movement-plates, a sounder and gong mounted on the other end of said gong-post and extending laterally therefrom by the broad side of and parallel to that movement plate which is farthest from the said suppoi'tingbase, substantially as described.

8. In a striking-clock, the combination of a tachably securing the said sounder and gong circular metallic supporting-base, a clocksubstantially as described. movement mounted on said base, a gong-post T w rigidly secured to said base, the sounder and ALMERON LAB 5 gong mounted on said post and extending \Vitnesses:

along by that side of the movement which is JAMES SHEPARD, farthest from said base, and means for de- A. WT STIPEK. 

